Besides four Democrats and a lone Republican hoping to repeat the feats of Dalip Singh Saund and current Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, the only two Indian-Americans to win a seat in the US House of Representatives, a Democratic woman is also poised to become the first Hindu to enter the Congress.

Bihar-born, Syed Taj is the Democratic nominee for Michigan's 11th congressional district. He stepped down from his post on the Canton, Michigan, Board of Trustees and as Chief of Medicine at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn in March 2012, in order to concentrate on his campaign.

Another son of immigrants from India, Manan Trivedi, a physician and Iraq War veteran, is the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district. Trivedi was born and raised in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, and attended Boston University for college and medical school.

The five Indian-Americans may or may not win, but Democrat Tulsi Gabbard is poised to become the first Hindu to serve in the House of Representatives.

Gabbard, who was elected as Hawaii's youngest state representative in 2002, representing Oahu 42nd District, resigned from the Honolulu city council to run for Congress from the heavily Democratic Hawaii's 2nd Congressional District.

Born in Samoa, Gabbard is a Company Commander with the Hawaii Army National Guard, and served two deployments to the Middle East.